Where do ideas take root? From our imagination, our language, our practice, or our education? Perhaps it is all of them, as they intersect and interconnect. It is paramount to remember that all roots are part of an integral system, one that anchors, grounds and nourishes. They also imply being underground or in the past.

As a system, roots are a beginning. Whether we are referring to a basic cause, plant life, or even cultural origins, the root system is not always part of the visible spectrum. Yet it is the fundamental building block from which a collective concession emerges. It is often the task of creative minds to illustrate these pathways, build these systems, and eventually, connect the dots.

This week we go back to the source. A semi-structured round table discussion on language, practice, and pedagogy at the STIR Gallery, compounded with an interview with Ghanaian architect Emmanuel K Ofori Sarpong, asks us to look at how the invisible systems of our past draw our present. Both conversations—centred on identity and formative education—explain how our modern investigations of creative practices continue to evolve. At the same time, Basse Stittgen’s ‘Tree-ism’ project illustrates a direct interpretation of roots.

We leave you with the same question we started with… where do your ideas take root?